Lock eor spare wheels oe automobiles



192 Apnl 7 F. w. HENKE. JR

LOCK FOR SPARE WHEELS OF AUTOMOBILES Filed Jan. 21, 1926 Patented Apr. 19, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK W. HENKE, JR., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO FOX AUTOMOTIVE PRODUCTS CORPORATION, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A

CORPORATION 01? DELAWARE.

LOCK FOB SPARE WHEELS OF AUTOMOBILES.

* Application filed January 21, 1926. Serial No. 82,753.

My invention relates to looks for securing in place the spare wheels of automobiles, being particularly constructed and devised tor use in connection with disk wheels.

In the accompanying drawings, in which the preferred form of my invention is illustrated- Figure 1 is a side view of the invention in position for holding a spare disk wheel upon the support or carrier at the rear or an automobile. v

Fig. 2 is a rear end view, parts oi the wheel being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line IIIIII of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4-. is an inner end view of the lock, detailed, showing a nut within the housing.

My present invention embodies a number of features of novelty which are described and claimed in another application which I have signed of even date herewith, filed January 21, 1926, Ser. No. 82,754, where1n my invention is illust-ated as applied to a lock for a spare tire. The features of novelt v, which are common to the invention presented in my said other application and to that of this case, are claimed in such other application.

In the accompanying drawings, A des gnates a spare disk wheel for an automobile, and B a supporting carrier therefor, which niav be arranged at the rear of an autoinobile. The wheel is usually secured upon the carrier by means oi nut-s G engaging with threaded bolts 0.

In order to provide a convenientinexpensive and secure lock for the wheel I substitute for one of the nuts C the locking device which I will now describe. 2 indicates a special nut adapted to replace a nut C and to be screwed upon the threaded bolt 0. It is considerably longer than the nut C and is formed at its outer end with a head shaped to receive a wrench, and at its inner end with a head or enlargement adapted to engage with the disk of the spare wheel, partially entering the opening 12 in the disk through which passes the bolt 0. The intermediate portion of the nut 2 is recessed or formed with an annular groove 3 that is preferably rather wide. 4 designates a housing adapted to be placed over the nut to protect and cover the same so that it is inaccessible. The housing is preferably formed of hard toolresisting metal, and is closed at one end and open at the other so that it may be applied to the nut by an endwise movement. It is formed with an extension 5 constituting a lock casing, the chamber for the lock being preferably radial to the chamber for the nut. In the chamber of the extension 5 is seated the body 6 of a lock, which may be of any suitable or desired construction-that illustrat-ed being of the pin tumbler, kevoperated, type, having a cylindrical body. The lock is securely held against removal from its supporting casing, but is free to have a certain amount of bodily movement toward and from the nut 2. When the lock body is moved inwardly, as represented in Fig. 3, the inner end thereof enters the recessed part 3 of the nut, and so long as it is maintained in this position the housing is thereby secured to the nut and is held against endwise rei'noval therefrom. lVhen the recess 3 is a continuous peripheral groove, as represented .in the drawings, the lock may engage therewith, whatever he the relative positions, axially, of the nut and housing. The lock has a spring plui'lger 7 that is normally held with its outer end projecting be yond the peripheral face of the casing by a spring. not shown, within the lock casing; but. it adapted to be retracted within the casing by the use of a proper key. The forward face of the plunger is beveled, as represented in Fig.

In the inner wall of the lock chamber is formed a recess 8 adapted to receive the plunger 7 when the lock body is moved to its inner position, in engagement with the nut. A second recess 9 is formed in the wall of the lock chamber into which the plunger 7 enters when the lock body is moved to its outer position and free from the nut. Between the recesses 8 and 9 is a rib or partition 10 across which the plunger 7 must pass as the lock moves from one position to the other. By making the end of the plunger beveled the lock body may be moved from its outermost to its innermost position by simply pressing inward upon the end of the lock and without requiring the use of a key, as the beveled end of the plunger will easily ride over partition 10; but the reverse movement of the lock cannot take place except by the use of the key.

I prefer that the housing, when applied to the nut, shall be held so that it cannot turn, to any substantial extent, relative to or with the nut, and to this end I shape the housing so that it has an integral. projecting portion 11 that is adapted to engage with a part of the wheel A, or the carrier B, or some other convenient member, other than the nut 2. For supporting a wheel such as shown the projection 11 is shaped to fit the depression 13that is usually found between the central portion of the carrier B and the curved edge of the disk of the wheel innnediately surrounding the central opening through the wheel.

It will be apparent from a consideration of Fig. 1 that when the housing is applied to the nut and secured thereto by the lock, engagement of the projection 11 with the adj acent depression 18 operates to prevent any rotative movement of the housing, while the lock prevents any bodily longitudinal move ment relative to the nut. In order that the projection 11 shall lit the depression 13, which depression is circular, the opposite faces of the projection are shaped to curves corresponding to the shape of the walls that they are immediately to engage.

To prevent the housing from vibrating or rattling T mount one or more, preferably two, spring plungers 14 in the extension 11, and so dispose these that when the housing is properly applied and secured to the nut the exposed ends of the plungers bear upon a wall of the depression 13 and are forced inward into the recesses in which they are mounted, compressing the springs behind them and thus applying a constant spring pressure to the housing that holds it against rattling. I prefer that the plungers should incline inwardly, that is, toward the axis of the nut 2, s that when the housing is applied to the bolt they bear against the inner edge of the wheel disk, as represented in Fig. 1.

15 indicates a spring plunger mounted in the outer end or head of the nut 2, preferably near the periphery thereof. Its free end is adapted to enter a recess 16 formed in the outer closed end of the housing. It sometimes happens that the nut is not screwed tightly against the wheel, and, since it is free to turn within the housing, l, it might happen that the nut would turn off the bolt, due to the vibrations and jars to which it would be subjected, carrying the housing with it, notwithstanding the housing itself was held by the projection 11 osses? against rotation. The detent 15 prevents this contingency, because once the end of the plunger enters the recess 16, thus locking the housing and nut against relative rotation, the nut cannot turn without a. corresponding turning of the housing, and provision to prevent this latter movement is made, as has been described.

The plunger detent 15 serves also as an anti-rattling device, and it is so claimed in my aforesaid application, but in the form of invention here described the additional anti-rattling means, 1 1, are found desirable.

What I claim is: Y

1. The combination with a securing nut, of a housing having one end open arranged to be passed over the nut to enclose the same and to be secured thereto againstendwise removal therefrom, the housing being formed with a hollow extension to serve as a casing for a loclr, such extension being formed with a projection extending toward the open end of the housing shapec to engage with a surface adjacent to the nut that will prevent rotation of the housing so long as it is applied and secured to the nut.

2. In a device for looking a spare diskautomobile wheel, the combination with a supporting carrier for the wheel and a securing nut, of a housing adapted to cover the same, formed with an open end permitting the housing to be passed endwise over the nut, and means for locking the housing to the nut and preventing its endwise removal therefrom, the housing being formed with a projection shaped to enter and engage with a depression such as may exist between the wheel and its supporting carrier, which projection prevents turning of the housing relative to the nut so long as they are locked together.

3. The combination with a securing nut, of a housing adapted to cover the same and to be secured thereto against removal endwise, the housing being formed with a projection shaped to fit a surface adjacent to the nut that will prevent rotative movement of the nut so long as the housing covers the nut and is secured thereto, and a spring plunger adapted to serve as an anti-rattling device supported in the said projection and adapted to have its free end bear upon the surface with which the projection engages.

4c. The combination with a securing nut, of a housing adapted to cover the same and to be secured thereto against removal endwise, the housing being formed with a projcction adapted to lit a depression adjacent to the housing, which projection serves to prevent rotation of the housing, and. spring plungers supported in the said projection operating as means to prevent rattling of the housing when applied to the nut.

5. The combination with a securing nut,

of a housing adapted to enclose the nut, a

lock for securing the housing to the nut detent interengaging with the nut and the against endwise separation without preventhousing and preventing turning of the ing the turning of one relative to the other, former Within the latter, and anti-rattling 10 a projection carried by the housing adapted devices carried by the said projecting part 5 to engage with a surface adjacent to the of the housing.

nut that Will prevent the turning of the housing so long as it is secured to the nut, a FREDERICK W. HENKE, JR. 

